App developers grow impatient with lack of Android updates

The community of third-party software developers who are building applications for Google's Linux-based Android mobile operating system are voicing new concerns about the absence of public software development kit (SDK) updates and the lack of information about the status of the platform. Developers are beginning to lose patience, and some are remarking that Google's unresponsiveness and lack of transparency are beginning to make other mobile platforms look more appealing.

Nicolas Gramlich, the operator of the independent Android Development Community message boards, posted a message on Google's official Android discussion mailing list last month lamenting the lack of information about upcoming releases and unresolved bugs in the SDK. He started a petition on the discussion list and encouraged others to share their concerns with the hope that Google would respond.

"In order not to lose many highly encouraged developers, I think its time to release some news about the development process of the SDK. Maybe let us know why we have to live with these long cycles," Gramlich wrote in a message on the list. "In my personal opinion it is not the right choice to keep developers in the dark."

His message received a chorus of agreements in response from others who are similarly frustrated with the current status of the SDK. Interest in competing platforms is a very common theme in the responses. The opening of Apple's iPhone App Store, the recent launch of the OpenMoko FreeRunner, strong carrier interest in LiMo, and Nokia's recent announcement of an open-source future for Symbian all give developers a reason to think hard about other options.

"I'm afraid (at the same time excited) that by the time the next Android SDK is released (close to EOY 2008 I guess), many developers here [will] have already released software on the iPhone platform, a platform with 20+ million users versus ZERO user install base for Android," wrote one supporter in a response on the mailing list. "It's not a hard decision to make after all. Hopefully someone wakes up sooner than later."

Google faced similar criticism following the initial Android SDK release. At launch, there was no public bug tracking system, inadequate documentation, and numerous technical problems. Google listened to the Android community's early complaints and invested a lot of effort into finding reasonable solutions. The most significant complaints were addressed by the time the second major iteration of the SDK was released, but little progress has been made since then.

Although Google has not issued an official statement to address the latest round of criticisms, an unofficial response came from Jean-Baptiste Queru, an Android engineer employed by the search giant. The tone of Queru's response indicates that he is also extremely frustrated with the situation but isn't in a position to address it himself. He says that Google is primarily focused on ensuring that handsets get brought to market and that SDK development is regarded as a secondary priority. He assures critics that he and his team are all aware of the problems and would like to communicate more openly about development status but are not permitted to do so.

"We (the Google Android team) are very much focusing on playing our part in getting an Android device on the shelves as soon as we possibly can, and that focus comes at the expense of other tasks, like getting an SDK out," said Queru. "So, while [concerns expressed in mailing list posts] aren't falling on deaf ears, they're typically falling in the wide-open ears of people whose hands are tied and whose mouths are gagged, and the frustration that such posts create in the Android team might in fact be larger than the relief that gets created in the community. [...] The Google Android people who read the groups hear you, we understand your pain, we communicate it back up to our management, we're not happy about the situation either, we'd love more openness too."

At this stage, it is likely that Google is focusing on meeting the needs of carriers and handset makers rather than third-party developers. As Queru indicates, this will probably change after the first phones launch. The problem, however, is the lack of transparency. Even if Google isn't willing to address SDK issues right now, the company needs to communicate with developers and provide some insight into when and how those issues will be addressed.

The Android platform has an enormous amount of potential and is positioned to deliver an exceptionally strong user experience, but that potential is undermined by the lack of communication. The strength of open platforms comes from a solid foundation of inclusiveness and transparency. Android will lose many of the advantages inherent in open platforms if barriers continue to isolate third-party developers from the project.